Aloe Vera and Its Effects: What This Medicinal Plant Can Do for Skin and Health
Laura Chrobok 07.10.2026
Most people know aloe vera as a cooling gel for irritated skin. But this well-known medicinal plant also has effects on burns and wound healing, ulcers of the oral mucosa and even blood sugar levels.
It is clear that aloe vera has considerably more potential than “just” skincare.
Aloe Vera — Far More Than a Plant for Irritated Skin
Aloe vera belongs to the Asphodelaceae family. This perennial succulent originally grows, among other places, on dry, rocky slopes and is therefore adapted to areas with little rainfall. Today, aloe vera is cultivated in numerous warm regions around the world. Its characteristic features are its fleshy, grey-green leaves, which are densely arranged in a rosette (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 2026).
Aloe vera is one of the best-known medicinal plants of all. In particular, the transparent gel inside its fleshy leaves is traditionally used for skincare, but also to relieve symptoms of atopic dermatitis.
Aloe vera has now also been investigated in clinical studies for wounds, burns and diseases of the oral mucosa, as well as for its possible effects on glucose metabolism.
When assessing the research, it is crucial to consider which aloe vera preparation was investigated.
A distinction must be made between:
· The clear gel, which comes from inside the leaf and is not only applied topically but is also found in preparations for oral use.
· The yellowish aloe latex from the outer parts of the leaf, which contains anthraquinones with a strong laxative effect..
(National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025)
Aloe Vera for Burns and Wound Healing
Hardly any use is as closely associated with aloe vera as the treatment of stressed or damaged skin. Particularly for the healing of burn wounds, remarkable clinical data are now available.
A systematic review with meta-analysis published in 2024 (Huang et al., 2024) examined 9 randomised controlled trials on the use of aloe vera for burns.
The result: compared with other topical treatments, aloe vera shortened the average wound-healing time by 3.76 days. The authors concluded that aloe vera can accelerate wound healing in second-degree burns.
By contrast, there was no statistically significant difference between aloe vera and the respective control treatments in terms of pain relief. Nor was there a significant difference in the risk of infection.
Aloe Vera for Aphthous Ulcers and Other Oral Ulcers
Less well known is the use of aloe vera on the oral mucosa. Yet a considerable number of clinical studies are now available in this area as well.
A systematic review and meta-analysis from 2022 evaluated 9 randomised controlled trials involving a total of 847 participants (Zou et al., 2022).
In the pooled analysis, aloe vera treatment showed greater clinical efficacy than the respective control treatments. In some cases, the treatment period until healing was also significantly shorter. However, the pooled data showed no statistically significant differences in pain intensity or ulcer size (Zou et al., 2022).
A specific double-blind study also demonstrates how aloe vera can work in this area. 90 people with recurrent minor aphthous ulcers received either an aloe vera gel, a myrrh gel or an active-ingredient-free gel. After six days, the average ulcer size was smallest in the aloe vera group at 2.5 mm², compared with 3.3 mm² in the myrrh group and 4.2 mm² in the placebo group. The differences between the three groups were statistically significant (Mansour et al., 2014).
Effects of Aloe Vera on Blood Sugar
Research into glucose metabolism takes us even further away from the conventional image of aloe vera as a plant for the skin.
A systematic review and meta-analysis (Suksomboon et al., 2016) evaluated 8 randomised controlled trials involving a total of 470 people with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
In people with prediabetes, aloe vera was associated with a significant reduction in fasting blood sugar. However, there was no significant effect on HbA1c, which provides information about longer-term blood sugar control, in this group.
In people with type 2 diabetes, by contrast, the pooled analysis showed a significant reduction in HbA1c. The change in fasting blood sugar, however, was only just on the borderline of statistical significance (Suksomboon et al., 2016).
These results illustrate that scientific research into the plant has long since moved beyond its topical use. However, the studies differed, among other things, in the aloe vera preparations used, and the results are heterogeneous. Further high-quality studies are therefore needed to provide greater clarity and genuinely robust advances in knowledge.
Aloe Latex for Constipation
Directly beneath the leaf rind is the yellowish aloe latex, whose constituents have a very different effect. It contains hydroxyanthracene derivatives such as aloin, which stimulate intestinal movement and influence fluid absorption in the large intestine. This produces a laxative effect. Corresponding aloe preparations made from concentrated or dried leaf juice are used as stimulant laxatives for the short-term treatment of occasional constipation (European Medicines Agency, 2017).
The Effects of Aloe Vera — More Than Beautiful Skin
Aloe vera can be found in many bathrooms as a gel for irritated skin or after a long day in the sun. Scientific research shows, however, that the plant is much more than a cosmetic classic.
Randomised studies have now produced findings particularly on the healing of second-degree burns. Clinical effects have also been observed in ulcers of the oral mucosa. And aloe vera is now even being investigated in connection with glucose metabolism.
Aloe vera is a traditional medicinal plant whose potential is increasingly being investigated using the methods of modern clinical research.
FAQ — More Frequently Asked Questions About Aloe Vera
1. Can I use the gel from my own plant?
For topical application, the clear gel from inside the leaf can generally be used.
However, oral consumption of home-harvested aloe vera is not advisable, as the gel can come into contact with the yellowish aloe latex when the leaf is cut open. This contains anthraquinones such as aloin, which have a strong laxative effect and can cause abdominal pain, cramps and diarrhoea.
(National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025)
2. Can aloe vera products interact with medicines?
Potential interactions should be considered when aloe vera is taken orally. Excessive use of aloe latex can, for example, increase the risk of adverse effects from cardiac glycosides such as digoxin. Anyone who regularly takes medicines should therefore seek medical advice before using aloe vera internally (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025).
3. Can aloe vera be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding?
Topical use is considered safe. Aloe vera taken orally in the form of gel, latex or whole-leaf extract may be unsafe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Oral use should therefore be discussed with a healthcare professional beforehand (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, 2025).
Further information on the effects of aloe vera — for example, in atopic dermatitis — and also on many other topics can be found on our blog. You can also find our “Medizinskandale” book series and the “Codex Humanus”, the fifth volume of which was recently published, in our online shop. We look forward to your visit.
Sources:
· Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2026): “Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f.,” Plants of the World Online.
· National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (2025): “Aloe Vera: Usefulness and Safety,” National Institutes of Health.
· Huang, Y.-N. et al. (2024): “Effects of Aloe vera on Burn Injuries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials,” Journal of Burn Care & Research.
· Zou, H. et al. (2022): “Effects of Aloe Vera in the Treatment of Oral Ulcers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials,” Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry.
· Mansour, G. et al. (2014): “Clinical efficacy of new aloe vera- and myrrh-based oral mucoadhesive gels in the management of minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis: a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study,” Journal of Oral Pathology & Medicine.
· Suksomboon, N. et al. (2016): “Effect of Aloe vera on glycaemic control in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
· European Medicines Agency (2017): “European Union herbal monograph on Aloe barbadensis Mill. and on Aloe (various species, mainly Aloe ferox Mill. and its hybrids), folii succus siccatus.”
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